Islamabad, Pakistan: Spokesperson of the Foreign Office of Pakistan Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed “surprise” over the concerns shown by the Chinese Ambassador over the security situation in Pakistan.
Addressing the weekly briefing Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that the statement by Ambassador Jiang Zaidong “does not reflect Islamabad and Beijing diplomatic tradition.” Baloch called the Chinese envoy’s response “surprising.”
It may be mentioned that addressing a seminar in Islamabad on Tuesday, Jiang Zaidong said that two terror attacks within six months were unacceptable and the government (Pakistan) should launch a crackdown against all anti-China terrorist groups. He called security as the biggest constraint to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and added that “without a safe and sound environment nothing can be achieved”.
Chinese Ambassador said that Pakistan should severely punish the perpetrators and crack down on all anti-China terrorist groups. To punish terrorists, Pakistan needs a mechanism that is directly linked with Pakistan’s justice system and it has been testified that the normal judicial system has failed to cater to the demands of dealing with terrorists.
Surprisingly, Pakistan’s Foreign Office which is known for its Western tilt hardly responds to any statement regarding the security issues within Pakistan if it comes from Western countries such as the United States or the EU but was quick to respond statement of the Chinese Ambassador. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan’s Foreign Office avoided commenting on letters written by 62 US lawmakers and UK lawmakers who criticized the state of human rights in Pakistan although their letters could be considered as intervention in domestic issues of Pakistan. Zahra would soon join her next assignment as Ambassador to France.
